Process of dyeing and apparatus therefor



B. F. TOUCHSTONEfT. E. GARDNER, J. A. BANGLE, D. M. SULLIVAN AND J. E.HARDIN.

PROCESS OF DYEING AND APPARATUS THEREFOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 23. 1920.

1 399230, Patented Dec. 6, 1921..

6 SHEETS-SEEN l.

Hung

B. F. TOUCHSTONE, T. E. GARDNER, J. A. BANGLE, D. M. SULLIVAN AND J. E.HARDIN.

PROCESS OF DYEING AND APPARATUS THEREFOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. s. 1920.

Patented Dec 6, 1921.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

JQWEHarcZ-in attozswtg S B. F. TOUCHS'TONE, T. E. GARDNER, J. A. BANGLE,D. M. SULLIVAN AND J. E. HARDIN.

PROCESS ,OF DYEING AND APPARATUS THEREFOR.

' APPLICATIONHLED SEPT.8. 1920.

1,399,23U, Patented Dec. 56, 1921.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

gmcntoz B. F. TOUCHSTONE, T. E. GARDNER, J. A. BANGLE, D. M. SULLIVANAND J. E. HARDIN.

PROCESS OF DYEING AND APPARATUS THEREFOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 8. 1920.

3,3992%; mama Dec. 6, 1921.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

5 II'LLLWLLLLLLLLLL I ifl il i I ILLILIILIILILIILLLL a B. F. TOUCHSTONE,T E GARDNER, J. A. BANGLE, D. M. SULLIVAN AND J. E. HARDIN. PROCESS OF0mm; AND APPARATUS THEREFOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. B. 1920.

Patented Des. 6, 1921..

a SHEETSSHEET 5.

atton-mt E D. M. SULLIVAN AND J.

PROCESS OF DYEING AND APPARATUS THEREFOR.

, I. A. BANGLE B. F. TOUCHSTONE, T. E. GARDNER E. IIARDIN APPLICATIONFILED SEPT. 8. I920.

Patented Dec. 6, 1921 6 SHEETSSHEEI 6.

gwoa'ntoz uirsn STATES PATENT OFFHCE.

BENJAMIN IE. TOUOHSTONE, THOMAS E. GARDNER, -J'AMES A. IBAll'G-LE, DAVIDM. SULLIVAN, AND JOHN ERNEST HARDIN', OF GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA.

PROCESS OF DYEING AND APPARATUS THEREFOR.

Application filed September 8, 1920. Serial No. 408,896.

To all whom it'may concern:

Be it known that we, BENJAMIN F. ToUcHs'roNn, THOMAS E. GARDNER, JAMESA. BANGLE, DAVID M. SULLIVAN, and JOHN E. HARDIN, citizens of the UnitedStates, residing at Greensboro, in the county of Guilford, State ofNorth Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inProcesses of Dyeing and Apparatus Therefor, and we do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear,- and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

This invention relates to machines and processes for dyeing and isdesigned primarily for the efficient and economical dyeing of warps, asWell as other materials in sheet, as distinguished from rope form.

In the treatment of yarn between the completion of the spinningoperation and the making of the yarn ready for'the loom, there is in thepresent day process a series of steps involving handling of the productboth in the practice of the step and in the transportation of it fromone set of machinery to another and it is the prime object of thisinvention to eliminate these multiferious successive steps with thelosses in product incident to breaking and other injuries with thelosses in time incident to transportation from the place of one step tothat of an'-. other; with the enormous and expensive equipment inmachinery; with the excessive floor spaceoccupied by the machinery; withthe excessive number of attendants essential in the carrying out of theseparate steps and the transportation from one to another, and the lossin energy incident to the number of separately operated mechanisms, aswell asother disadvantageous items, well known to those skilled in theart.

With the mechanisms and processes in common use, the first step is thespooling of the yarn from the bobbins. Second, the filled spools areplaced in a creel. Third, the

yarn from the spools in the creel are run Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Dec. 6, 1921,

denims, a ball is wound to contain 4,000 yards and includes 480 ends orwarp threads, the size of the ball being limited by the weight that itis practical to handle in the succeeding steps of the process. In themaking of a 28inch denim such as is ordinarily employed in themanufacture of overalls, there are 1,920 ends or warp threads, thusrequiring four balls.

Now in dyeing in conformity with the common practice, it is impossibleto obtain a constant shade from successive batches of dye liquor, noreven throughout extensive runs of ropes from succesive balls through thesame batch of liquor. Hence, whatever vnumber of balls are required toprovide the entire number of ends for a fabric of different width, thatnumber of balls, from the time they leave the warp machine, must becarried through all of the succeeding steps of the process to and,including the final the same conditions andwill, therefore, be

the same as nearly as possible.

The four balls are then individually trucked into a different room tothe boiling out apparatus andvare stopped in transit, :sufliciently longto have knotted identification strings attached to certain of their endsor warps. Y

lhese identification strings have all the same arrangement of knots inthem and are the means for identifying these particular ropes-throughouttheir treatment, so that it may be made certain that these identicalropes will be wound together uponthe single beam when finally ready forthe loom and'thus to constitute the entire number of warps or ends forthat particular-length of fabric. I

After this the four ropes from the four balls are thensimultaneously putthrough the same boiling vat and are squeezed to express the excessmoisture and are then rewound on shells to provide four balls, asoriginally. r

. v The four balls are then trucked into the dye house.- The ropes fromthe four balls are then successively passed through a dye vat, thensqueezed, then run over a frame for exposure to the atmosphere foroxidation and then again wound into balls. The ropes from the four ballsare then once more passed through the dye vat, squeezed, oxi dized andwound onto. their shells into what is technically known as balls, whenthey are ready for washing.

From the dye house, the four balls are trucked to the washing apparatuswhere the ropes are successively run through a washing tank of hotwater, then squeezed to express excess moisture, then through a coldwater wash tank, then again squeezed to ex press excess moisture and arethen wound back into balls.

The four balls are next trucked into a drying room where the four ballsare taken simultaneously about a series of steam heated drying cans andafter drying are coiled loosely each'upon a section of tarpaulin orother suitable material. When the four ropes have been completely dried,the corners of each tarpaulin are caught up and the four coils are thentrucked into a beaming room. Here the yarns are separated and the yarnsof each coil are wound upon a large spool or what is technically knownas a section beam, for the reason that it contains a section of theentire number of warp yarns or ends that are to constitute the warp ofthe fabric to be woven. This section beaming is the most tedious andexpensive step in the process, in the matter of labor as it is foundthat many of the yarns or ends are broken and many misplaced withresultant tangles. Here the operator must unite the broken ends, oftensupplying various lengths, and must straighten out the snarls so thatthe ends on the section beam may be evenly laid, ready for the slashingand final beaming operation. When the four section beams have beenfilled with their respective ends from the the four section beams aretrucked to the slasher room Where they are placed in a creel. From thiscreel, all of the ends are fed to the slasher in the form of a sheet,where they are sized and then dried and thence are carried over thesplitting rods where they are separated previous to wind ing onto'theloom beam, ready-to be fed to the loom in the weaving of the finalfabric.

, The present invention contemplates the embodiment on a single machine,of mechanism for completely treating the warp threads or ends from thetime they are spun until they are dyed and slashed and beamed read forthe loom, and without any intermedlary handling or transportation [and iwith the absolute elimination of man of the expensive steps in theprocess as 'therto practised. In the present invention the warping,balling and section beaming with warper and to which they have been fedfrom creeled spools that'have been supplie from the spinning framebobbins although it may be found preferable to omit the section warpingand feed the ends as a warp sheet direct from the spools that arereceived from the bobbin or direct from the bobbins themselves.

In any dyeing process. in which the dye stuff is held in suspension inits vehicle, the richness of the shade contributed varies in proportionto the decreasing density of the. batch. The decreasing density is'dueprimarily to the removal of dye stuif from the vehicle by the materialtreated but there is also a considerable diminution incident tosedimentation. It is common to rake up the batch from time to time,which under the old system above described, occurs once forapproximately 4,000 yards of rope run through the batch.' It is ,anobject of the present invention to prevent'loss in richness fromsedimentation by constant and continuous circulation of liquor betweenthe sevtime. four coils that originally were the four balls,

To maintain constant the shade of the warp sheet, not only must therichness of the batch of liquor be substantially constant, but the timeof immerg'ence of the warp sheet must be constant and hence, not onlymust the speed of movement of the sheet be practically constant, but theimmersed portion of the sheet must not be permitted to stop in itsmovement. It is, therefore, a further object of the invention to providean apparatus of this character, in which there will be nodiminution orother change in movement of the warp sheet in the dye vats, even duringthe time consumed in removing a filled beam and substituting a beam'tobe A further object of the invention is [0 provide an apparatus that maybe employed not only for dyeing a single shade or color throughout theentire width of the warp sheet, but which may with equal facility beused for d eing the successive threads either individual y or in anydesired groups, with various shades or colors.

In the present apparatus, the ends instead of being roped are introducedin sheet form, directly to the boiling box, side by side to the numberof the warps of the ultimate fabric and in the form of which there aregiven the successive treatments even to and through the final slashinand beaming so that there are eliminated the various and expensive stepsheretofore necessary in forming a rope from a sheet of threads and thenafter the dyeing operation, the returning of the rope to sheet form .sothat it may be subjected to the slashing process. It must be borne inmind that the only reason for roping the threads has been to facilitatethe dyeing underv the heretofore. practised method and the roping andsubsequent unroping of the threads has brought about this unprofitablehandling and rehandling, with injury to the threads and losses in time,all of which the present apparatus eliminates.

Other objects and advantages of the in-- vention will be understood fromthe followin description.

in the drawings: I

Figuresl and l jointly show partly in side elevation and partly invertical section the complete apparatus for presenting the ends in sheetform from a plurality of section beams and for boiling, mashing, dyeing,oxidizing, drying, slashing and final beaming of the ends with theaddition of the selvage and the compensation in the sheet for thedofling of the beam.

Figs. 2 and 2 show jointly and at the upper portion of the figure, aplan View of one machine and at the lower portion of Fig. 2 the boilingand first washing boxes together with successive dye vats of a sec ondmachine, the dye vats having their guide or direction rollers omitted soas to illustrate the feed and draw ofi' pipes through the medium ofwhich circulation of the dye stuff is maintained between these vats andthe supply reservoir which is illustrated centrally of Fig. 2

Fig. 3 is a transverse section through the dye vats of a pair ofcontingnous machines supplied with dye liquor from a common supplyreservoir, between which and the vats of the separate machinescirculation is maintained in the structure excepting for the vats beingillustrated in elevation,

Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section through the dye reservoir andthe stock tank and showing the means for automatically feeding stock tothe reservoir to maintain richness of the-dye liquor.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged elevation of the compensator that serves to takeup the sheet in advance of the slashing when the slasher beam is beingdofied.

Fig. 6 is a detall plan of one side portion of the compensatorwithportions in section and showing how that alternative rollers throughdifferent vats, to effect a multicolored stripping of the sheet.

Fig. 8 isa plan view of the boiling and washing boxes and those of thevats shown in use in Fig. 7 and with their guide and direction rollershaving the sheet trained over them.

Fig. 9. is a detail view showing only the initial boiling box of thestructure illustrated in Fig. 1 and with the ends fed thereto directfrom a creel of spools, without the in termediary of the usual sectionbeaming apparatus.

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 9 showing the ends taken directly fromthe several groups of bobbins and in which their end is drawn from thebobbins successively of each group to give the full length to the end,this arrangement dispensing with both the spooling and the sectionbeaming apparatus.

Fig. ll-isa section taken transversely through a washing box and showingthe arrangement of the supply and drain pipes.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to Fig. 1 and theassociated views that illustrate the machine in operation to dye theentire warp sheet with an indigo dye as practised by us and tosubsequently supply to the sheet the selvage threads, there areassembled in a continuous succession, the initial boiling and washingtanks, the several dyeing tanks and the final washing tanks, the warpthreads or ends being passed from one to another in the order just namedand over an oxidizing frame after their emergence from each of the dyetanks.

There will be first described this succession of tanks with theoxidizing frames, the means for maintaining practically constant therichness of the batches of dye liquor within the separate tanks and theother mechanisms having particularly to do with thetreatment of the warpsheet from the time of the initial'boiling to the final washing afterdyeing, the manner of presenting the warp threads or ends in sheet formand I 24 upwardly and out of the box and between a pair of squeezerollers 25 and 26 mounted transversely of the rear end of the box. Thesesqueeze rollers are of conventional form and their axes are directlyover the rear wall 27 of the box 22 so that the sheet may pass from thelower wall downwardly into a wash box 28 and in spaced relation to thewall of the box. The wash box 28 is equipped with upper and lowerdirection rollers 29 and 30 respectively, which are in staggeredrelation so as to direct the sheet in a circuitous path through the box,the sheet passing finally upwardly from the box at its rear end andbetween a second pair of squeeze rollers 31 and 32 whose axes aredirectly above the rear end of the box 28, as illustrated. It "will benoted that the direction rollers 23, 24, 29 and 30 are submerged intheir respective boxes and in practice, the water with whichthe box 22is sup plied, is kept at a boiling point through the medium of a steamcoil 33 of any suitable character to maintain the water at a boilingpoint so as to rid the warp of the well known objectionable matter, thewater that is expressed from the sheet by the squeeze rollers 25 and 26,returning to the box, as will be of course understood. While the waterwith its detergents in the box 22 is maintained at a boilingtemperature, the water that is supplied to the box 28 is free fromdetergents and is continuously supplied from the ordinary service mainthrough a pipe 34, the Waste water being carried'from the bottom of thebox by means of a pipe that extends first downwardly as shown at 35 andthen returns and extends upwardlyto the maintained fluid level in theboxand then downwardly to the waste pipe. This arrangement of drain pipe isdesigned to carry off the production of sedimentation while ermittingthe proper level of water in the ox.

Directly following the wash box is a series of dye vats 36,- 37 and 38which, of course,

may be in any desired number although we have elected to illustratethree in the embodiment of the invention that it has been elected toshow. Directly succeeding the dye vats is a hot water'wash box that isdirectl followed by a cold 'water wash box. bove these boxes and vats isarranged a sectional oxidizing frame'to a corresponding section of whichthe war sheet passes for oxidation after emerging rom a dye vat andbefore entering the next vat, as also before enterin the hot water washbox.

Referring now particularly to the threedye vats that are illustrated, itwill be noted that they are also disposed end to end and in directsuccession to the wash box 28. Each of, these dye vats is provided witha lower horizontal and longitudinally extend- 1 passing upwardly anddownwardly about the rollers in succession and passing finally from thelast lower roller 39 upwardly and between a pair of squeeze rollers 41and 42 whose axes are directly above the mutually contacting end wallsof the vats 36 and 37 so that the liquor expressed from the sheet,-willreturn into the vat 36.

The oxidizing frame at present in use includes a rectangular frame work43 at the upper and lower side of which are mounted longitudinallyextending series of horizontal direction rollers that may be consideredin three groups or sections 44 and 45, 44 and 45 and 44 and 45 I Thewarp sheet is carried from the squeeze rollers 41 and 42 to-the sectionof the oxidizing'frame that includes the rollers 44 and 45 and istrained up and down over these rollers and from the endmost lower rolleris taken downwardly and into the next vat 37.

In the vat 37, the sheet is trained around the direction rollers thesame as in the vat 36, is then taken between the squeeze rollers 41" and42 to the oxidizing frame section that includes the rollers 44' and 45'and then' "hot water wash box 47 that abuts the end Within the box 47are the of the vat 38. upper and lower longitudinally extending seriesof horizontal direction rollers 48 and 49 around which the sheet istaken as illushated and from the endmost roller of the lower series, thesheet passes upwardly and between squeeze rollers 50 and 51 directlyover the rear wall of the box 47. From the rollers 50 and 51 the warpsheet is taken downwardly and into a cold water wash box 52 having upperand lower direction rollers 53 and 54 and from the rear roller 54 the"sheet passes upwardly from the box and between squeeze rollers-55 and56.

Now it will be noted that the squeeze rollers in each instance arepositioned to discharge the expressed liquid into the tank from which itwas directly carried by the sheet. It will also be notedthat in eachinstance, the journal boxes 57 of the upper squeeze roller are eachforced downwardly throughthe medium of a lever 57 suitably fulcrumed atone end and having connected 62, through the medium of which the tensionwhich engages gages a sprocket wheel 77 on the shaft of the a of thespring may be adjusted, thus to determine the pressure of the uppersqueeze roller against the sheet asit is carried over the lower squeezeroller. It is the lower squeeze roller in each instance that is directlydriven from a single longitudinal shaft 63 having drive pinions 64 thatmesh with gears 65 on the lower squeeze roller shafts. The shaft 63 isin practice electrically driven, the motor being arranged midway of theends of the shaft, for reasons that are obvious.

The wash box 47 is supplied with water throu h a pipe 66, the drain pipefrom the box, shown at 66, having the same arrangement'as the pipe 35described in connection with the box 28, so that the products ofsedimentation will be carried off from the box. To heat the water in thebox 47 to the proper temperature, a steam pipe 67 is carried into thebottom of the box and is perforated so that steam of proper temperatureand in sufiicient quantity is let into the water to maintain it at wellknown working temperature. The box 52 is supplied with cold waterthrough a pipe 53 and it has a drain pipe 54 with the same arrangementalso as the pipe 35 and for the same pur ose. From the last set ofsqueeze rollers a ove described, the warp sheet passes to a set ofdrying cans. Each of these cans, shown at 70, is a hollow cylinder,rotatably mounted in a suitable frame 71 and having gears 72 at one endthat intermesh so that the cans are rotated one from another, the meshedseries of gears being driven from a pinion 73 that engages one of them.The gear 73 is carr ed by a shaft 74 having-a sprocket wheel 75 with achain 76 that in turn enlower'squeeze roller ofthe box52.

The drying cans are rotatably mounted through the medium of trunnionsthat project from their ends which trunnions at each end are connectedwith the branch arms 78 .of a pipe 79. One of these pipes constitutes asupply for steam while the othercarries off from the can, A and suchvapor as may .pass with it. This stack of drying cans, however, is suchas are commonly used and requires no further specific description. Fromthe squeeze rollers of the final wash box 52, the sheet passes aroundthe series of drying cans successively and is then ready for slashinAfter the dyed warp s heet has been washed and dried as described, it issized after having its selvage threads added to .it and is then dried,then split and finally beamed. When a beam has been filled, it must besubstituted by an empty beam but during this substituting operation, thepassage of the sheet through the wash-boxes and dye'vats and over theoxidizing frames and around in order that the shade of the resultantproduct may not change. It is, therefore, necessary that somecompensating mechanism be employed to take up the sheet at a pointbetween the drying cans and the delivery rolls of the slasher. In thepresent embodiment of the invention and in the practical operation ofthe present invention by us, we have arranged this compensatingmechanism be tween the drying cans andthe size box of the slasher. Aconventional slasher is employed by .us and includes a size box 80 withits well known equipment, the drying cylinders 81 and the head 82 withits equipment of split rods and its delivery rollers 83 from which thewarp sheet is delivered to the loom beam 84 that during this deliveryoperation, is supported in suitable bearings in common use and which isrotated in the manner well known.

The compensator employed by us consists of a frame, each side of whichincludes vertical and parallel angle iron guides 85, these guides ateach side of the frame being arranged in pairs. Between each pair ofguides is held for vertical sliding movement, a journal box 86 and incorresponding boxes at opposite sides of the frame are journaled thetrunnions of metal rollers 87 which in practice are sections of steelsha'fting so as to have the desired weight. Between each pair of guides85 is journaled in the upper part of the frame, a roller 88 and the warpsheet from the drying cans is carried'under all of the verticallymovable rollers 86 and over all of the remainin rollers-88 that have nobodily movement. Then, so long as the tension of the sheet in itspassage under and over these rollers, is such as is contributed duringthe complete operation of the a paratus, including the beaming, these rolers 86 remain at their upper limits of movement. When, however, thesheet feeds from the drying cans at a speed greater than it is the waterof condensation the drying cans, must continue,

taken from the slasher, the resultant slack is taken up by gravity ofone or more of these comparatively heavy compensating or taking uprollers 86. When the slasher is stopped, as in the substitution of anempty beam for a filled beam, the same thing takes place and these takeup or compensating rollers 86 move downwardly by gravity, to such degreeand in suflicient number to take up the slack. It will, of course, beunderstood that the compensator is made with such capacity as to permitof stoppage of the slasher sufficiently long to permit of shifting ofbeams under even abnormal conditions.

It will, of course, be understood thatthis compensator permits of thestopping or slowingdown of the slasher for any purpose whatsoever, suchas for the replacing of broken ends, or for the inspection of the warpsheet.

It will be noted furthermore, that a selvage creel 90 is arranged ateach side of the apparatus between the compensator and the size box andreceive the selvage spools 91 from which the selvage threads are addedto the warp sheet just before its passage into the size box of theslasher.

It will, of course, be readily understood that each complete piece,theproduct of a loom, must be of uniform shade and when variations occurbeyond certain specific and well defined limits, that piece becomes asecond. It is, therefore, essential that their condition inductive ofsuch excessive variation in shade must be assiduously guarded against.Some of these safe-guards have already been brought out, such as thecontinuous and constant feed of the warp sheet through the washing boxesand dyeing vats. 'The dye liquor, however, must be maintained at asubstantially constant rich- .ness throughout the complete dyeing of aset of warps, such as a complete sheet is ordinarily termed. In thepresent apparatus,,there is associated with the several vats of thedyeing element, a supplemental reservoir between which and eachindividual vat there is a continuous and constant circulation of dyeliquor, thus tomaintain uniformity in richness of liquor not only in theseveral vats with respect to one another,

but also in all parts of each vat. In indigo dyeing, the coloring matteror indigo is in suspension in the vehicle and in consequence, the bathbecomes progressively impoverished during the dyeing operation and inthe dyeing processes ordinarily practised, the batch is enriched at thebeginning of the run of each set of warp ends. re'enriching of the batchated shade that becomes or to the final end of the set. It is for thisreason that under the old process above outlined, that the rope is runthrough a vat This intermittent results in a graduprogresslvely weakof agiven length twice, with first one end first and then the other endfirst, instead of being given a single dip through a vat of doublelength or instead of running it through more slowly, with the object oftaking up the proper quantity of pigment.

In the present apparatus as illustrated, and as operated by us, insteadof intermittent replenishing of the batch, we add to the supplementalreservoir referred to, a continuous and constant supply of stock of adefinite richness that is determined by the weight of warp that istreated in a given time. In the apparatus now in operation, theenriching liquor in which the indigo is carried is fed into thereservoir at such rate as that the weight of indigo contributed in agiven space of time is tenper cent. of the weight of the yarn that istreated in the same length of time. Y

lVhere a battery of mechanisms is employed, all dyeing with the samecolor, a single supplemental reservoir and stock tank is employed forthe entire number of mais shown a machine A and a machine B,

there is arranged between them upon a suitablestand 92 a reservoir 93 ofsuitable size and dimensions from the bottom of which leads a supplypipe 94 having at its lower end the branch arms 95 and 96 that connectwith the mains 97 and 98 that run longitudinally of the machines A and Brespectively. From the mains 97 and 98 there lead service pipes 99 and100 that enter over the side walls of the, vats near to the ends of thelatter and between the entering warp sheets and the corresponding endsof the vats where they are provided with transversely disposed heads 101that are perforated as shown at 102 to direct their streams away fromthe warp sheet and, toward the adjacent end wall of the vat, so that theincoming jets may not strike and split the warp sheet, thus rolling oneend upon one or more of the adjacent ends. Thus is the propercorrelative positions of the individual ends or warp threadsmaintained.v p

In the bottom of each vat is a T-shaped draw-oil pipe, the head 103 ofwhich is disposed longitudinally of the vat and midway of its sides andhas perforations 104 in its upper side for'passage of the liquor intothe pipe. The stem 105 of this draw-off pipe extends through the side ofthe vat and has connection with a pipe 106 that leads to the return main10'? that extends longitudinally a discharge pipe 111 that inturn leadsto the upper portion of the reservoir 93, so that a circulation ofliquor may thus be established between the reservoir and all of the vatsso that the condition of theliquor in all of the vats may be uniform. Itwill be noted that these various pipes are provided with hand valvesthrough the medium of which the flow through them may be varied or cutoff, to suit specific conditions that may arise.

To maintain constant the richness of the liquor in the reservoir 93 andcorrespondingly in the several dye vats, a stock tank 112 is mountedabove the reservoir and this stock tank is kept supplied in suitablequantity with the carefully prepared stock includingthe pigment and theother ingredients that go to make up with the vehicle, the dye liquor.

The stock'is fed from the stock tank 112 into the reservoir 93 at thecarefully determined rate above referred to through the medium of anydesired expediency such as a worm fed faucet 113 that is engaged in thestock tank and discharges into the reservoir. The gear 116 of the faucetworm is engaged by the worm 117 of a shaft'118 havlng a finger disk 117,the face of which is traversed by a friction pinion 119 splined to shaft120 mounted in bearings 121' and connected with a flexible shaft 122',the latter being rotated in fixed relation to the feed of the warp throuh the machine by means of the beveled pinion 119 meshing with beveledpinion 120 on one of the squeezed rollers herein above referred to. Thefriction pinion 119 is slipped over the face of the disk 117 by thelever 122', to effect a different ratio between the movement of thesheet and the feed of stock to the stock tank. I

As previously stated, the squeeze rollers are all driven from thelongitudinally extending drive shaft 63 and it is through the medium ofthese presser rollers, that the sheet is drawn through the boilingboxes, dye vats, wash boxes and the oxidizing apparatus. It has beenpreviously explained also how the drying. cans are operated from theshaft 63.

The slasher is driven 121, in the usual manner, the shaft 121 be ingrotated through the medium of a belt- 122 that engages its pulley 123and the pulley 124 of a counter-shaft 125 havin also a pulley 126provided with a belt 12? that engages the pulley 128 on the shaft 74:.

The present apparatus may be employed for dyeing the ends of variouscolors in groups while one or more other groups remain undyed, as foruse in weaving pattern from the head shaft work. In that event theseparate vats may be cut off from the reservoir, through the medium oftheir valves before referred to and they may be supplied with dyes ofdifferent colors, it being customary in dyeing for pattern work, to usedye stuffs thatrequire no oxidation.

In Fig. 7 of the drawings, there is illustrated in diagram the samearrangement of boiling and washing boxes and dye vats as previouslydescribed, having supplemental equipment for maintaining separation. ofthe differently colored groups of ends in their transit to the'dryingcans, to prevent cross-dyeing of one from another. In the arrangementshown in Fig. 7, all of the ends are carried through the boiling box 22and the wash box 28 and between the pairs of squeeze rollers 25, 26 and31, 32. From the squeeze rollers 31, 32, that roup or those groups ofends that are to %e dyed in the vat 36, are carried from the sheet butthemselves in sheet form, down into and through the vat 36, aroundits-guide rollers and thence between the squeeze rollers 41 and 42 andthen back to the sheet. Into the next vat 37 are similarly carried thatgroup or those groups of ends that are to be given the color in thatvat, those ends being taken from the vat through the squeeze rollers4.1, 42 and then back to the sheet. Into thethird vat 38, are takenthose ends that are to be given the color in that vat, they beingthencarried between the squeeze rollers 41 42 and then back to thesheet. Those ends that are to remain undyed, are carried over all of thevats instead of being deflected from the sheet and returned to it.

Above the squeeze rollers 41 and 42 is a guide roller 129 which isprovided with spaced circumscribing flanges 130, similar rollers 129'and 129 being disposed over the pairs of squeeze rollers 41', 42 and 4142 respectively.

the possibility of cross-dyeing. When using those dyes ordinarily emloyed, it is not necessary to wash after t e dyeing operation, and'inconsequence, with this specific multi-dyeing process, the sheet iscarried from the roller 129 above and beyond the wash boxes 47 and 52and is taken over such number and arrangement of fiangeddirectionrollers 131 and-132 as may be found desirable in the carrying of thesheet to the drying cans. Where the flight of the sheet from the roller129 to the drying cans is not sufficiently long to insure drying toanextent to preclude cross-dyeing, then the initial drying can 70 and suchsuccessive dryv of the various groups.

In Fig. 10 of the drawings, the warp ends or threads 20 are introducedto the machine over the roller 21 in sheet form, direct from the bobbinas takendirect from the spining frame and placed in a creel 140. Thesebobbins are creeled in groups, threads of the successive bobbins of eachgroup being tied together so that after the thread is drawn from the endof one bobbin, it will then draw from the next bobbin and throughout thegroup. Thus is provided the length necessary to produce the properlength of the warp sheet.

In Fig. 9 of the drawings, is shown an arrangement in which the warpends or threads are introduced over the roller 21 in sheet form, from acreel of spools 141 that have been filled in the well known manner frombobbins after the manner ordinarily employed in preparing the threadsfor introduction to the warp machine by which is formed the rope that isused in the old method for which the present is substituted.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings there is shown a third arrangement that isused where it is found convenient to feed the warp threads or ends insheet form over the rollerv 21 from consists in reducing either thebobbins or the spools. Then, the threads or ends are spooled and thenpassed through a warp machine in which they are wound on section beams142 that are placed in a creel 14:3 in suflicient number to provide therequisite number of ends, the ends from the several section beams beingthen taken over the roller .21 and presented in sheet form to theboiling box 22. In this method of procedure the baller attachment of thewarp machine is omitted and the warp sheet is wound directly onto thesection beam.

What is claimed is:

l. The method of treating warp which consists in reducing a completeset. of yarn ends or threads to sheet form, conducting the sheetcontinuously through common yarn dyeing and treating means, and then incontinuous pursuance to said treatment, winding the same directly flipona loom beam. i

2. The method of treating warp which a complete set of yarn en'ds'orthreads to s set form as it is received from the spinning mechanism,conducting the sheet continuously as it is formed and at a uniform rateof movement through yarn dyeing vats and conditioning means, and then incontinuous pursuance to said treatment. winding the same directly upon aloom beam.

3. The method of treating warp which consists in reducing a complete setof yarn ends or threads to sheet form, conducting the sheet continuouslyand at a uniform rate of movement through common boiling, dyeing andrinsing vats and through intermediate oxidizing means and then in con-,

tinuous pursuance to said treatment winding the same directly upon aloom beam.

4. The method of treating warp whichconsists in reducing a com lete setof yarn ends or threads to sheet farm, conducting the sheet continuouslyand at a uniform rate of movement through common boiling, dyeing andrinsing vats and over intermediate means for exposing the dye to fixingconditions and then in continuous pursuance of said treatment windingthe same directly upon a loom beam.

5. The method of treating warp which consists in reducing a complete setof yarn ends or threads to sheet form, conducting the sheet continuouslyand at a uniform rate of movement through common boiling, dyeing andrinsing vats and over intermediatemeans for exposing the dye to fix ingconditions and then in continuous pursuance of said treatmentwinding thesame directly upon a looinbeam, diiferent portions transversely of thesheet being simultaneously exposed to the contents of different dyevats. 6. The method of treating warp which consists in reducing acomplete set of yarn ends or threads to sheet form, conducting the sheetcontinuously and at a uniform rate of movement through common yarntreating agencies including dye vats and oxidizing means and through avariable capacity takeup or compensating means and finally and incontinuous pursuance of said treatment winding the same directly upon aloom beam, the takeup or compensating means serving to continuouslyreceive the war from the treating means during the substitution of loombeams.

7. The method of treating warp which consists in reducing a complete setof yarn ends or threads to sheet form, conducting the sheet continuouslythrough common treating and conditioning means including dyeing vats,continuously'and uniformly replenishing the dye vats with dye stock, andin continuous pursuance'to said treatment winding the sheet upon a loombeam.

8. The method of treating warp which consists in reducing a complete setof yarn ends or-threads to sheet form, conducting the sheet continuouslythrough common treating and conditioning means including dyeing vats,continuously and uniformly replenishing the dye vats with dye stock at a9. The methodof treating warp which consists in conducting the samecontinuously and at a uniform rate of movement through .common yarntreating agencies, including i the yarn.

. for directing the entire warp through the 10. The method of treatingwarp which consists in conducting the same continuously and at a uniformrate of movement through common yarn treating agencies, including dyevats, and continuously maintaining a circulation of dye stock at themaximum strength through the said vats to compensate for the removal ofthe pigment by the 11. A dyeing apparatus comprising a-successio'n ofdyeing vats, means for presenting a sheet warp and means for directingseparate ends through different respective vats. 12. A dyeingapparatus-comfprising a succession of dyeing vats, means or presentingasheet warp and means for directing separate ends through differentrespective vats, and means for reassembling the separately dyed seriesof ends into a sheet.

13. In an apparatus of the class describedi the combination withsuccessive dye vats an aboilingapparatus in advance thereof, of meansfor-presenting a sheet warp, means boiling box, means for subsequentlydirecting separate series of ends through separate vats respectively andmeans for reassembling the ends into sheet form.

14. The method of dyeing yarn which consists in assembling the ends fromseparate containers into sheet form, dyeing the sheet, slashing thesheet, and finally beaming the sheet.

15. The method of dyeing yarn which consists in assembling a pluralityof ends from a pluralityof containers into sheet form, subjecting theends in sheet form to dye stuff with a continuous movement of the sheetand subjecting the dyed sheet .intermittently to a slasher.

16; The method of treating yarn comprising the assembly of a pluralityof ends in sheet form from a plurality of containers,

I successively boiling, dyeing, oxidizing, washing the sheet and dryingthe sheet; and intermittently sizing and beaming the sheet withcontinuous movement of the sheet through its drying operationsimultaneously with the feeding of the sheet from the containers.

In testimony whereof, we afiix our signatures in the presence of twowitnesses.

BENJAMIN F. TO'UQHSTONE. THOMAS E. GARDNER. JAMES A. BANGLE. DAVID M.SULLIVAN.

JOHN ERNEST HARDIN. Witnesses:

J. T. CAnnu'rmms, R. P. Boom

